Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



' H. GROSS., Breech-Loading Fire-Arm.

Patented Aug. 11, 1863.

llnrrnn STATES ATENT QEFICE.

HENRY stress, or TIFFIN, onio.

IMPRGVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,4 79. dated August 11, 1863.

had to the accom an in drawin s makin a b b 7 g part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through my improved arm, taken in the vertical plane indicated by the red line g 3 in Fig. 3, with the breech closed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the opposite side of the arm, showing the breech open and ready to receive the charge. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken in the plane indicated by the red line a m, Fig. 2, with the breech open.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in the several figures.

This invention is an improvement in that class of breech-loaders which have a vertical slot at the end of the breech, adapted to receive a movable breech piece or plug, which is connected to and moves with the lever-guard for opening or closing the breech of the barrel, and allowing of the loading or insertion of the charge into the gun at its breech. These kind of breech-loading pieces arevery objectionable on account of the blowing or escape of gas at the breech, and the consequent rapid destruction of the joint. To obviate this difiiculty it has been proposed to use a breechplug which shall fit closely into a corresponding depression I made in the rear end of the open barrel, and thus plug up this end of the barrel after the insertion of each charge. To do this and use a hinged or pivoted breech requires that a rectilineal movement should be given to the movable breech-piece as well as a swinging movement, in the accomplishment of which a very wide space is left between the breech of the barrel and the breechpiece, which makes it very unhandy to introduce the cartridge into the barrel in such a manner as to prevent the forward end of the breech-plug from striking it in bringing this plug to its place.-

The object of my invention is to furnish, in conjunction with a pivoted breech-piece, a

- guide for directing the cartridge into the breech the cartridge from being injured by the returnstroke of the breech-plug, as will'be hereinafter described; also to open and close the breech of the gun-barrel by means of a novel arrangement of movable breech and a camsegment working in a vertical slot, which causes the breech-plug to recede from the breech of the barrel in a straight line with its axis before said plug is depressed, and to be brought to a line coinciding with the axis of the barrel before the plug advances to its seat, all by the operation of one lever swinging upon a fixed center, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A is the barrel of the piece, attached to the solid metal portion B of the stock 0, in the usual manner.

D is a vertical slot which is made through the portion B, of sufficient capacity to con tain and support the movable parts of the breech-closer. The two longitudinal sides of the slot D are in vertical planes parallel to each other, while the ends of this slot D are curved as follows: The forward surface, a, at which the bore of the barrel terminates, is an are described from the center of the pin a, and the rear end, I), of this slot is a curve described from the axis of pin b.

E is a plate of metal which, when it is in the position shown in Fig. 1, exactly fits and closes the slot D, at its upper end, fitting at its forward end snugly against the curved surface a. This plate E has a groove, 6, cut

into its upper surface, which inclines down-- ward toward its forward end and terminates at the surface a,- and the transverse pivot a connects this grooved plate to the portion B, and allows its forward end to move up and down against the surface a. The plate E is operated, as will be hereinafter shown, so as to bring the surface of the groove etc the bottom of the bore of the barrel A, inthe position shown in Fig. 2, and in this position the plate E serves as a guide for directing the cartridge into the bore of the barrel. The

curve a being the arc of a circle of which the plate E is the radius, the forward end of this plate will keep in close contact with the surface a, and prevent the cartridge from getting down between it and the breech-piece.

Fis

trically with the center of the cylindrical cam I or eccentric G. The tongue portion (1 of the piece F proj ects" backward short 1 distance,

and has a longitudinal vertical slot, 0, made through it, through which passes the flaringhead screw j, which connects this piece F to the grooved guide-plate E, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The length of slot 0 is sufficient to allow the piece F to recede and draw the plug 0 out of its depression in the bore of the barrel, as shown in Fig. 2. The slot 0, therefore, allows the plug-carrying portion F to slide back and forth under and against the plate E in a line coinciding with the axis of the barrel.

The circular eccentric G fits into a corresponding cavity made through the body of the sliding piece F, (shown in Figs. 1 and 3,) and-this eccentric is pivoted to the portion B by means of the transverse pin 2), the axis of which is the center of motion of the lever H. The lever H has an enlarged segmental portion formed on its forward end, consisting of the arc b which is concentric to the pin 1), and the are 71., which is concentric with the center of the eccentric G, and also the arc h. A re cessis made between the surface h and the eccentric G, for receiving the rear portion of the movable piece F, and the recess 2 receives the stop projection j. This enlarged seg mental portion of' lever H and the sliding piece F are halved together, so that their outer surfaces fit snugly against the longitudinal surfaces of the slot D. The curved segmental piece J, which forms a part of the enlargement on the forward end of lever H, forms a wedge which firmly secures the breech-plug c in its place in the breech of the gun, and gives a solid rear support to the sliding portion F. (Shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.) I The operation of my inventionis as follows: The guard-lever H is furnished with the usual finger-ring, s, on its swinging end, which has a slot cut into it for receiving the lever-catch s, which holds this lever back when the gun is charged, and the several parts are in the relative position shown in Fig. 1. To open the breech for receiving the charge, the lever H is released from the catch 8 and swung forward. This movement will at first cause the eccentric G to force the sliding plug-carrying portion backward in a straight line until the end of the breech-plug 0 will clear the surface a. This sliding movement now stops, and the guide E, together with the portion F, will descend in the arc of a circle described from the point a, until the grooved guide-plate E is in the inclined position shown in Fig. 2, when the lever H will come in contact with barrel A and stop the further movement. In this position the inclined grooved guide E serves to guide and direct the cartridge into the chamber of the barrel. In returning the parts to their TOTIhr'PGSi tionuftertne insertion Ofth a charge, the lever H is drawn (swung) backward, causing the eccentric G to lift the portions F and E until the axis of the breech-plug c is coincident with the axis of the gun-barrel A, when the further movement of lever H will force the breech-plug directly into its seat in the chamber of the barrel. The curved wedge J, being formed on the enlarged portion of lever H, moves with this lever, and forms no obstruction to the backward motion of the portion F in preparing the piece for receiving the charge.

Having thus described. my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As an auxiliary device to a breech-load:

ing fire arm, operating substantially as described, the pivoted guide E, working in the slot D, and maintaining during its up-and-.' down movement in the path of a circle a close relation between its forward end and the breech end of the gun-barrel, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. Connecting the plugcarrier F to the guide E, substantially as described.

8. The construction of the slot D with its face a concentric with the axis a of the guide E, in combination with the auxiliary device E and breech-piece F c, substantially as and v stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Witness my hand in the matter of my application for a patent for an improved breech-1 loading fire-arm, No. 2.

HENRY GROSS. WVitnesses: j

JosErH SHORT, Ronr. XV. FENwIoK. 

